


22 Times

by Septic_wolf



Series: Darkness follows you [7]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Immortal!Bruce, Meta!Bruce, That meeting yall wanted, There's some things going on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:01:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28064367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Septic_wolf/pseuds/Septic_wolf
Summary: He'd need to get this undercontrol. Bruce couldn't keep up this rate of regeneration... At least, according to his wizard nurse.
Series: Darkness follows you [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1908796
Comments: 5
Kudos: 31





	22 Times

Approximately 22 times this week alone.

Bruce was a little tired of waking up sore and he wanted nothing else than to curl up in his cave hole and just not come out till breakfast next Monday and forget the daggers that his sons had been sending him after the fourth occurrence of his death. But he couldn’t have that, because the sorceress before him was observing him, casting spells, and… “What type of demon was it?”

_Asking redundant questions…_

“I don’t know. It was before I could recall.” Bruce muttered. He was still sore from the last death which happened only three hours ago. Bruce didn’t ever want to experience death through electrocution again, he shocked himself on every Batarang after he jolted awake. Zatanna seemed to be a little more perplexed at him, but it was better than how she was an hour previous to now.

 _“What the *ell… What happened to you?”_ Bruce didn’t know what had changed about him if he’d always been able to live on past his death, but he thought it may have something to do with his recent continual deaths. Alfred had to update his chart after everything this week. _“You hadn’t died from drowning when I’d made it, sir. It simply had to have a place on the chart.”, “Don’t use purple to mark drowning, Alfred.”, “I already used that for electrocution, sir.”_ Bruce wouldn’t say his opinion on the chart, as handy as it was, he wanted to **burn** it.

Zatanna continued on with her spells and incantations. The shadows licked around them, but they gave the witch her space and backed away anytime that she stepped near them. Only a small trundle connected itself to Bruce, keeping him grounded to them as she worked. “So, you were a baby when they made this deal, the shadows only started to listen recently this month, and you’ve started to have more deaths in a week than you’d had in several years… Well, I think it should go without saying that you should stop dying so much. For your sons’ sakes more than your own, but I’m sure it doesn’t help you much either.” He shrugged. “Have you noticed anything physical changes since you’ve been dying so closely together?”

Bruce glanced around. Dick and Jason had insisted on being at this meeting with Zatanna, but Bruce refused to have Tim there to see this. Though he was sure the kid had hacked into the Batcave’s video feed the moment he’d gotten to his room. When Bruce met his eldest’s eyes Bruce was almost terrified. He hadn’t seen his sons out of costume for most of the week due to an Arkham breakout. (Minus Bane as he was still recovering in the hospital.)

With a few quick snaps, Bruce took off his gloves to reveal the greying inkish black skin that was starting to creep up his arms from his fingertips. His nails had grown into sharper like talons, and anytime he’d touch his skin he would only shiver from the touch. Zatanna held out her hands for Bruce to put his own in.

The moment they touched Zatanna shivered, making Bruce want to pull his hand back quickly. He held steady and waited. She rolled his hands around and looked over each one with the same obsessive behavior that Bruce gave to one of his cases. It was a little unnerving to see it used against him. “Interesting.” She murmured a moment later and Bruce felt heat rise from his hands when she seemed to try a spell on his fingers. “This is closer to what Constantine would know, but that Bastard isn’t in this realm currently… I’ll contact him and tell him my thoughts. I don’t wish to give you any information that I am not sure about.” Bruce nodded, grateful. “For now, though, I think I should mention this. I don’t know of a demon that does this or causes this type of immortality. If we knew the exact contract or demands that your parents made, perhaps we could have a better understanding of what may happen to you. But as of now I just know that this is permanent.” Bruce shuddered a breath as she spoke.

He hadn’t been sure he wanted to know if he could go back to being a mortal man. This immortality meant that he could watch over his city, and not have to worry about Dick taking up a mantle that he had never wished to have in the first place.

Bruce glanced to his sons who were watching them but keeping quiet. It was likely that they didn’t know what to ask, or that they were waiting for Zatanna to finish to ask their questions. “Is there a weakness to it?” Bruce asked.

“To my knowledge? You might be affected by what demons are weak to. Holy water, the word of God, crosses, and just the mere presence of God… But seeing as none of that seemed to affect you, I’d say that you are just a man who can manipulate shadows and get his head kicked in and still stand up and ask for more.” She smiled kindly, but there was sadness in her eyes when he looked into them. _There’s something she hasn’t said…_ “But try not to die anymore this year, okay? Death may not be what you’ll get anymore but I’d hate to see what being a demon is like for you even less. You’re terrifying as Batman already, don’t make me want to put you down for growing horns and raising actual Hell just because someone looked at you wrong.” Bruce could understand that. He didn’t much think that would be good for him either.

Bruce put back on his gloves.

_“Rest, take a few nights off, and just try not to die.”_ Those were her parting words after she’d finished up talking with Dick and Jason, both. He’d taken up his post in the study, both of his eldest sons sitting in the furniture there. They weren’t a disturbance, but when Bruce died and took a little while to come back Dick got antsy, and Jason gave off the air that he didn’t care but keep him in his sights for a majority of the evening. Bruce stared at his grey hands and talons. They’d been like this for two nights now, after the second time he burned to death. _Firefly lit up the room he’d walked into and hadn’t looked back. One of these days one of his rogues would notice that he wasn’t capable of dying._

“B,” Bruce looked up, both boys were looking at the studies doorway. Tim was there, cast on his arm, computer in hand, and he looked upset. Bruce stood to greet his youngest but toppled back down when Tim crashed into him. Knocking air out of his lungs.

“TIM?!”

Bruce grabbed hold of the younger boy who was holding back his tears and hid his face in his father’s stomach. The bat reacted on instinct, placing his hands on Tim’s shoulders and trying to soothe a pain that Bruce couldn’t see. Tim curled up tighter into Bruce and hiccupped. “Don’t go out again this week.” He murmured, holding Bruce tighter.

It was a testament to how strong Tim was getting that Bruce was actually starting to feel a good amount of pressure from his son’s arms. He squeezed them to release that pressure. _The cast isn’t all that comfortable either._ “I won’t, I promise. Emergency only.”

With that being said, the air in the room seemed to almost visibly disperse. Bruce caught the eyes of his other two sons who were more relaxed as well. _They all thought I was going to go back out_. “I’ll stick to the cave, try to see if I can’t get a better grip on what all this means and if I can’t get better control of it.” Bruce glanced to the darkest corners of the room, seeing the shadows shifted and mold into terrifying objects and shapes. But it calmed upon his foot returning to the darkness of the shadows underneath his desk. _He would need to train with his shadows further. Test his own limits as he’d told his Justice League comrades all the time._ Rising to his feet Bruce held onto Tim lightly and looked to all of his sons. “For now, Dick, take out the cowl tonight.” He could see his eldest’s eyes widen, “I know you think that you are not ready for it, or that you don’t want it. But there is no one else outside of this room whom I would trust to bear its weight.”

With that said Bruce noticed Jason grab hold of Dick’s shoulder, giving him strength. _I would trust Jason with it as well, but I do not wish for there to be more burden on him than there already is._ “I’ll try not to ruin your image while I’m wearing it,” Dick murmured, smirking all the while.

“Yeah, better get those smiles out of your system now. Would hate for Batman to grin while he was fighting some goon.” Both chuckled at the thought and descended back down to the cave. Bruce turned to his youngest, raising a brow.

Tim gave the look back. “If you didn’t want to risk your image… I would have suggested Jason. He at least is always frowning like you.” Tim took off for the cave and Bruce stared after him. _What had he just allowed his sons to do?_

**Author's Note:**

> Had some home life stuff come up so this was done, but published later than expected. Hope y'all like it, I'm not too thrilled with the ending so... Might add or change something later. IDK yet... 
> 
> Either way, leave a kudos if you liked it  
> comments are my lifeblood, lol 
> 
> Stay safe. Stay healthy. Choose happiness. 
> 
> I'm hoping to get ahead on this before Christmas so I look forward to your reactions in the future!
> 
> ***Editors note.***  
> My italics and bolds didn't get transferred over so I had to fix that real quick


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